Life in the Pain
by FayBear
Summary: After the war, everyone student that had attended Hogwarts during the war, was required to return to repeat the year at school. The ministry had come up with some kind of treasure hunt. There are 4 teams made up of 2 students from the grades 5 - 7. Draco and Hermione have been selected to be a team, and now have to live with each other for the next 3 and a half weeks.
1. Chapter 1

"Oh shut that annoying trap of yours, you stupid mudblood!" groaned Draco Malfoy as he sat down on a large boulder, his legs sore and his feet aching with pain.

"I'm not exactly thrilled to be in here with you either, Malfoy. If it would've been up to me, I wouldn't have even come back to Hogwarts to make up for my 7th year. I damn well know enough to start my bloody career as a teacher." Hermione snapped at him, throwing their bag of supplies at his chest.

To their luck, Hermione and Draco had been paired up in some kind of twisted treasure hunt that the Ministry came up with.

And you'd have thought that theyd stop with their sick games after the war.

But anything for a little entertainment, right?

McGonagall had told the entire school the ecstatic news the first night they had arrived back to Hogwarts.

Of course not until she had greeted them all heartily, pointing out how Hogwarts had an increase of first years, since the war had interfered with most of their classes.

Every wizard and witch was required to stay an extra year at Hogwarts.

Anyways.

Once everyone had eaten and the 5th through 7th years had dropped their names into the goblet of fire, she muttered some incantation and slips of paper began to fly out of the blue flames one by one.

Hermione looked over at Ron and Harry nervously, hoping to be paired up with one of them.

The first team were Annabella Hawthrone, a seventh grader from Hufflepuff, and Secilya Wohlner, a sixth grader from Ravenclaw.

As both of them walked up to Line up behind The headmistress, Hermione couldn't help but notice how friendly they seemed to each other. To thee luck they must've been good friends, judging by the way they were grinning at each other.

The second team were Ginny Weasley and Pansy Parkinson.

Great.

The Golden Trio let out a round of groans and sighs, already feeling bad for Ginny.

"Poor Ginny. " muttered Harry, intensely watching his girlfriend as she force herself up there.

Pansy, on the other hand, didn't seem to really have a problem with it.

Or maybe she just didn't show it.

Knowing her, she'd probably make the next two and a half weeks of Ginny's life a living hell.

Next up were a the light blond Luna Lovegood, and a tall, strongly built boy named Jay Lombardi, who was currently in his 7th year and belonged into Ravenclaw.

Everyone's hearts beat fast as McGonagall pointed out that she would now call the last team.

"Draco Malfoy and Hermione Gramger!" she called out, and the hall was filled with silence.

You could seriously hear everyone's heart beat, that's how quiet it got.

"No! This … This is impossible!" Hermione screeched and looked at the professor in terror, as her friends pushed her out of her seat and urged her forward.

As if they had a mind of their own, Hermione's legs began to carry her up to Professor McGonagall, who gave her a sympathetic look.

Her eyes scanned the slytherin table, quickly finding Malfoy's blonde hair.

It was so blonde that she figure that she'd even be able to find him in the pitch black.

"Come on now, Mr. Malfoy." McGonagall said, and Draco pushed himself out of his seat, joining the group, but standing a few feet away from Hermione just to make sure.

* * *

_Fuck. Me._

Those were the first words that came to Draco Malfoy's mind as the old cooch called out his and the mudbloods name.

How the hell did he end up with HER?

His mouth gaping open at the headmistress and everyone else in practically the entire world, a long line of curse words flew through his head, some trying to escape his mouth, but he quickly shut it before he could say anything.

"Come on now, Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall said, waving him up there.

_Right. As if I'M going to stand next to that filthy mudblood._

Blaise Zabini, Draco's dark skinned friend, elbowed him hard in the ribs, causing Draco to grunt in pain.

With a groan of hatred, he got up and strolled up to where the mudblood was standing, his hands deep in the pockets of his uniform.

"Great!" chimed te old with, before sending a piece of parchment to all of the teams.

Hermione swiftly caught the piece of parchment in her right hand, sending the scent of her fruity perfume into Draco's direction, who scrunched his nose together in disgust.

_Great, I'll have to deal with that for almost a month._

"Please follow Professor Sprout to your designated living quarters, where you will be staying with your team for a week so that you have time to prepare for the upcoming two weeks." said McGonagall, and Professor Sprout, the herbology teacher, led them trough a door next to the large table that was meant for the professors to eat at, and into a small hallway, two doors on each sides.

"The rooms have already been assigned." The short lady explained, and the names of each team appeared on each door.

Drsco and Hermione slowly approached the last door on the right, Draco obviously a few feet behind her, and entered the tiny dorm, in which they were expected to live in for the next seven days.

Without any second thought, Draco slammed the door behind him and threw himself onto the couch.

Hermione watched him in disbelief. They had just entered their dorm, and he was already being a lazy son of a-

Hermione stopped her thoughts at once and grumbled.

"Malfoy, get up off your lazy arse. We've to prepare for the hunt." she snapped at him, before sitting down in an armchair across from the sofa.

Draco groaned audibly at the bushy headed girl, and sat up on the sofa.

She quietly skimmed through the instructions and information that the headmistress had given them just minutes before, before reading the words on the piece of parchment out loud.

"welcome back to another splendid year at Hogwarts! I welcome you all back and—"

"Just get to the damn point, Granger." Draco grumbled, not wanting to listen to the mudbloods voice longer than he already Had to.

"Fine." she sighed slightly annoyed.

"Once the teams are picked, they get one week to prepare for the hunt, and the teams are excused from classes, exams, quizzes, homework, etc. This will not affect their grades."

"They will need to know everything about the forbidden forest, which will be cleared of anything that would cause harm or death to a student, so that they know which plants are edible, where north is, how to read time without a watch, how to find water, and anything else that will possibly help them."

Draco cackled lightly at that, interrupting Hermione. "Great, we won't have to do that. We've already got the entire bloody library with us."

Hermione shot Draco a nasty glance before continuing.

"Before each team enters the forest, they will receive a bag filled with a tent, rope, knives, small first aid kits, a bowl, and to large flasks that may be filled with water. They are allowed to use their wands for anything but harming other students."

Once more, Draco interrupted Hermione. "Damn. And I was hoping to jinx the damn mudblood and the weasel girl." he muttered, just loud enough for Hermione to understand.

"Excuse me?" she scoffed, raising her eyebrows. "I believe you were mumbling, Malfoy. Perhaps you should try repeating that again?"

Chuckling lightly at her, he shook his head. This was going to be fun.

Hermione began to read once again, swearing to god that if the little blonde haired git was to interrupt her again, she would personally cast him to Neverland.

"As soon as they set foot into the forest, there will be a spell cast around the area to keep any harmful creatures out, and to make sure that the students don't return to the castle over night. But if they do want to give up on the task, only in life and death situations that is, they must simply cast up red sparks with the help of their wands, and someone will immedialtey bring them back to the castle.

The teams will have exactly 17 days to find each clue, successfully fulfill it's task and receive the key or keys, which are blue crystal balls that will give off a slight glow at night, making it a bit easier for the students to find.

Every clue is assigned to a certain team. One team will not be able to find another teams clue.

In all, there are 60 keys. 15 for each team to find.

Depending on how hard each task is, there will be more than one key at certain tasks.

The maximum amount of keys a team must find to win the hunt is 10.

The first team to find all 10, or even 15 keys, will send purple sparks into the air, and a professor will come and get them.

The remaining students will be notified through amplifying a professors voice, telling them that the hunt has ended, and will then be ordered to send sparks Ito the air, and another round of professors will collect the teams.

The prize for winning the hunt will be kept secret until the winners have returned to the castle, and all of the remaining students have gathered in the great hall to celebrate the winners.

They will then proceed to eat a dinner, and receive their prize.

There are a few spells that may not be used in the forest at any times.

Spells that may not be used: any typoe of curse and hexes.

Stunning students is allowed.

Students may set traps for the other teams, but they are not permitted to harm the victim in any way.

Good luck, Teams, and happy hunting!"

Hermione finished with a loud sigh, placing the parchment on the table in front of her.

"I can't believe that I have to spend the next three damned weeks with _you._" hissed Draco after a while of silence.

"well, Malfoy, believe it or not, but I'm not very fond of this idea either." she growled and got up, walking around the dorm.

There were four doors.

One led to a small bathroom, with a built in shower, loo, and sink.

The next door to her right was one of the two bedrooms. The beds weren't exeptionally big, but then again they wouldn't be staying here for very long.

"I'm going to bed." Draco said as he pushed past Hermione, with much more force than needed. The scent of her perfume filled his nose once again and he pretended to gag.

"No, Malfoy. You're not." Hermione grabbed him by the back of his shirt before he could close the door, yanking him back into the small living room. "We're going to prepare for this damned Hunt now. Whether you like it or not!"

Draco glared at the girl with so much hatred as she pulled him back into the room. Who did she think she was, ordering him around like that?

"You can't tell me what to do, Granger." he growled at her, attempting to push past her again, but she warningly held up her wand.

His eyes wandered down to her wand, and then back up to the mudblood's face. "Go ahead. You wouldn't do it for all the money in the world." Draco cackled, a smirk on his face.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, before lowering her wand. "You're right. I won't. Because I actually have some common sense unlike some people, and I want to win this bloody hunt. And I know you do too."

Scoffing, Draco leaned his back against the wall and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "And how do _you_ know that, Granger?"

She tilted her head lightly. "You're a Malfoy. Everyone knows that Malfoy's don't like to lose, or else they'll throw a bitch-fit."

Now it was Draco's turn to narrow his eyes. "...Whatever. I'm going to bed." he grumbled, and successfully pushed past the girl without her yanking him back into the living room.

He slammed the door shut behind him, making sure that everyone in the great hall could hear it. Once the door was locked, Draco stripped off his uniform and tossed them into a corner, forming a pile of clothes, and jumped into bed, before pulling the covers over his body and trying his best to fall asleep.

Outside of the Slyterhin's door, Hermione groaned loudly and stomped away to her room, and changed into her pajamas. One of the house elves in the castle had already brought her entire luggage to her room, and she couldn't help but wonder how the elf had done it.

Her trunks were filled with heavy books, clothes, and all of her shampoos and perfumes and what not.

As soon as her head hit the pillow and the soft blankets covered her body, her eyes began to droop and she fell into a dream-less sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Draco opened a heavy eyelid the next morning as he was awoken by the sound of running water and a feminine voice singing a song he'd never heard of.

He had to admit; the voice was pretty good at singing.

Slightly confused about where he was, Draco stopped to think for a moment.

Right. Back at Hogwarts. Now living with the mudblood because the bloody ministry came up with some treasure hunt.

He turned his head to look at the clock next to his bed; the time read 7:30 in the fucking morning.

"What the hell is that mudblood doing?" he hissed and covered his face with a pillow, but that only muffled the sounds.

With a loud groan, Draco got out of his warm and comfortable bed, stomped to the bathroom door, before hammering his fist against the wooden door.

Hermione was rather startled as she heard the loud banging on the bathroom door, causing her to jump and hit her head on the tiled wall.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she called, holding her head with her left hand, and quickly wrapped a towel around her body before pulling open the door.

There he stood, right in front of her, and half naked. Hermione swallowed hard as she tore her eyes from his chest and up to his face.

The hot steam and the scent of Hermione's vanilla shampoo and peach body wash hit Draco square in the face, and he quickly waved the hot air away with his hand.

"Could you be any louder in there?" Draco asked, frowning deeply at the witch.

Hermione cocked an eyebrow, "Oh, you want me to be louder?" she asked, and with a flick of her wand that she had grabbed off the sink, loud music began to play in the dorm.

Draco quickly covered his ears with his hand, frowning deeply at Hermione. "Fucking turn it off!" he yelled over the music, but Hermione shook her head, refusing to turn it off.

"Please!" Draco forced himself to say. Never in his life had he said please to anyone but his mother. And the last time he did, he was still running around in diapers and waving his toy wand in the air.

She abruptly shut off the music, staring at the boys face for a second. "Well, since you asked nicely…" Hermione mumbled, her eyebrows slightly raised.  
He sighed a quick, "Thank you," and scurried back to his bedroom to gather his things so that he could take a shower once Hermione was done.

Hermione watched him disappear with disbelief, before disappearing in the bathroom again.

She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, staring at the fogged up mirror.  
Had Draco Malfoy really just said please and thank you? To her?

Her mind swam with a billion questions for a few seconds, before a small lightbulb went off in her head.  
The war must have changed him; it changed everyone after all. And who's to say that the blonde haired git couldn't ever change?

Hermione shook her head, freeing it from the thoughts that swam around her head, and quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a tank top.  
She brushed her hair, flinching whenever the brush hit difficult knots, and then tapped her wand against her hair, which dried it instantly.  
Her hair seemed to be extra bushy and extra frizzy today, so Hermione decided to put it up into a bun, fastening strands of loose hair to the side of her head with bobby pins.

There was another knock on the bathroom door just as she finished.  
"One second!" Hermione called and gathered her things before exiting the bathroom.

Draco and her exchanged a quick glance, and he closed the door behind him.  
Not much later she heard the sound of running water.

Hermione looked at thick book in front of her, and then over at the large stack of books that was set on the table right next to her.  
Draco and her had agreed, but not after a loud and lengthy argument, to scan through some books that might help them when they're stuck in the forest.  
"Draco, could you stop being a lazy arse over there and read through at least one book? I'm not going to do all of this work by myself." groaned Hermione as she turned around on the bench, and looked over at Draco who was sitting in an armchair nearby, his eyes closed, and his breathing slow and even.  
Hermione scoffed and stormed into the boy's direction.

"Malfoy!" she hissed, lightly shaking his shoulder.

Draco jerked awake and jumped out of his seat, his eyes wide and his body alert.  
"Don't fucking touch me!" he spluttered as he slapped her hand away, and Hermione rolled her eyes with a sigh.  
"You fell asleep." she explained.

Draco's eyed wandered around the room for a second before he realized that he was in the library, supposed to be studying with Granger.  
_Studying. Right._

"Whatever. Youve already read every single book in this damned library, Granger. So Why do we need to read these,again?" he grumbled and rubbed his left eye with a yawn.

Hermione sighed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. The ferret was right, okay. She already knew all about the plants and animal life in the forbidden forest; more than the old Caretaker Filch, she was afraid.

"…Whatever, Malfoy. Ill be going down to the great hall to eat dinner, now." Hermione walked over to the table where she had just been studying and flung her bag over her shoulder. "Oh," she stopped before she exited the library. "You should really put the books away, since the only thing you've done so far was sleep." And with that, Hermione disappeared out of the door.  
Draco groaned as he watched her exit the library.

There she was again, ordering him around like a fucking house elf.  
It was about time he taught her who the boss around here was.  
With the swish of his wand, the books all flew towards the shelves filled with more books, and returned to their rightful place.  
He too, grabbed his bag, and followed Hermione down to the great hall.

* * *

"I'm telling you, Harry. It's like hell having to live with that foul git! All he does is sleep while I'm the one getting ready for these next two fucking weeks!" the bushy haired witch explained to her best friend, Harry Potter, as they all sat gathered at the Gryffindor table to eat dinner.  
Hermione stabbed her fork into her baked potato, pretending as if it was Malfoy's face.

"At least you don't have to live with Parkinson." Ginny blurted out, obviously angry at the world. "That bitch is taking up half of my room with her damn luggage, sleeps all god damn day, and whenever she IS awake, all she does is bitch at me an tell me what to do. In telling you now." Ginny held up a finger. "We'll be the first people to leave the fucking challenge."  
And with that, she began to stuff her face with whatever was within The reach of an arm length.

Ginny was the kind of person who just eats her worries away.  
There was one time where her and Harry had a major fight, and they were on the verge of breaking up, over something very silly she must add, and all Ginny did was eat.  
And eat.

Whatever she could get her hands on, Ginny would eat it, not caring about what the hell it was that she was eating.  
Surprisingly, she had manage to remain her regular, slim figure.

Hermione had always admired that about her.  
Not a single day during that time did she work out, yet she didn't gain any noticeable weight.

"Well, maybe you should come to the library with me," Hermione suggested.  
She had to admit; she needed someone else to lend her company.

Malfoy didn't do anything but sit in his corner and read some stupid fiction book or sleep, and that obviously wasn't going to help them out at all.  
The youngest Weasley looked up from her chicken wings, and nodded her head.  
"Alright," Ginny sighed as she wiped the barbecue sauce off her face. "Do you mind if we leave now? Because I honestly don't feel like putting up with the 'Drama Queen' of fucking Hogwarts."

Hermione watched the girls eyes flick to the Slytherin table, where Pansy, Draco, and his friends all sat conversing about something; the topic seemed to bore Draco, though. He yawned every now and then, giving his girlfriend of almost 4 years, Pansy, a bored look every now and then.  
"Yes. Please. I don't feel like putting up with the ferret either." Hermione agreed before gathering her things and heading up to the library with Ginny.

{Authors Note: Sorry, I would've had this up yesterday, but it was my birthday and we went to the fair, and then played a video game all night. Sorry. :3}


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n**: I made some minor changes in the first chapter. I added Luna into the teams that were chosen for the hunt, and replaced her with the boy who was paired up with the Ravenclaw boy from 7th year. She's rather important later on in the story, and just now realized that.

* * *

Hermione stifled a yawn behind her hand, her eye lids feeling like lead and her head throbbing. Her and Ginny had spent the past 6 hours in the library, reading every book that might possibly help them in the forest.

She slowly shut the thick book on the dark forest that was laying out in front of her, and gathered her things. "I believe it's time for us to go back to our rooms." she sighed as she checked the clock, "It's almost half two in the morning."

Ginny looked up at her friend, nodding her head and flicking her wand at the dozens of books that they had stacked on the large table, watching them sort themselves into their rightful spots.

The two young witches silently strolled through the empty corridors of the castle, silently speaking about Ginny's relationship with Harry, and Hermione's relationship with Ron.

"I just feel different about him, you know?" Hermione sighed as they turned the corner. "It doesn't feel... right. He's like my brother. But he doesn't get that."

Ginny giggled lightly, looking up at Hermione's face. "He whined about it for weeks. 'Oh Hermione doesn't love me like that. Hermione doesn't want this. Hermione doesn't want that.'" she mocked her older brother with a grin on her face.

A small knot formed in Hermione's stomach as she nervously chewed on her bottom lip.

Her and Ron were together for about a good two months after the war, until Hermione had realized that the relationship was rather awkward for her. They'd been the best of friends since year one at Hogwarts, and Ron was practically a brother to her.

As far as she understood, the decision to break up was a mutual decision, but according to what Ginny had just told her, Ron hadn't taken the break-up very well, after all.

"Oh.." she mumbled absentmindedly, and before she knew it, they'd reached their rooms.

Hermione breathed in deeply as her hand lingered on the door handle. "Night, Gin." she mumbled, and watched her friend disappear behind the door across from her.

As Hermione stepped into her living quarters that she unfortunately had to share with Draco Malfoy, she was instantly greeted by darkness and the smell of whatever shampoo Malfoy used. Silently closing the door behind her, the young witch stepped into the dark room, and cast a dim 'lumos' spell, which ignited the tip of her wand in a soft, blue glow.

Hermione tiptoed through the room, dropping her bag on the small couch, before she realized that she wasn't alone. She could see the outline of his body standing just next to her door... what was he doing?

"It's two in the morning." Draco said, turning on a few candles around the room with the flick of his wand. "Don't you think it's a bit late? Where were you?"

The young witch furrowed her brows. "What's it to you, Malfoy? It's not like we're dating or anything-

"Just answer the damn question, Granger." he ordered, and Hermione swallowed hard.

Why the hell was Draco asking all these questions? He hated her, and she hated him. He shouldn't give two shits about what she was doing, where she was, or why the hell she was late.

"It's none of your business, alright?" she scoffed and walked towards her door, but only to find Draco step right in between her and her room.

"We're a team-

"That doesn't bloody mean that I have to tell you everything, Malfoy!" she snapped. "Now get the hell out of my way before I make you!"

The boy crossed his arms in front of his chest and towered over her, slightly frightening her. But she couldn't let her fear take over her; she was, after all, still a Gryffindor. The lioness began to show in her as she tried pushing the boy away, but his feet stayed in place as if they were planted into the ground.

"I think you're being-

"Oh and what did I do now to give you the impression I actually _care _about what you _think_, Granger?" Draco sneered, rolling his eyes at her.

Hermione flinched lightly at his comment, anger building up in her. "Well, leave me alone, then! Because if you don't, I'll _definitely_ tell you what I think! If you care or not!" she screamed at his face, before pushing him aside and storming into her room, making sure that she loudly slammed the door.

* * *

Draco hated to admit it, but the mudblood was right.

Why did he care where she had been? He knew exactly that she was either in some secluded corner of the castle snogging Pot-head or the Weasel, or she was in the library, trying to read every fucking book in existence.

So why the fuck did he care?

Shaking his head free from the thought, he decided that a shower would be very appropriate right now. It didn't matter if he'd just been in the shower two hours ago. They always cleared his head whenever something was bugging him in the back of his mind, and they seemed to relax him more than anything.

Stalking off towards the bathroom door, he pulled his shirt over his head and discarded it on the living room floor.

Once in the bathroom, he turned on the water, testing the temperature with his fingers.

_Fucking shower, get hot already. _

He scowled at the shower, and while waiting for it to get hot, he locked the bathroom door, and with one swift tug, pulled down his pants and boxers.

Once again he tested the water with his hand, and this time it was just right.

Draco stepped into the shower, allowing the hot water to run down his face, his shoulders, his chest, his stomach, his legs, and eventually down the drain right in between his feet.

He reached over and grabbed a bottle of body wash, squeezing the thick liquid onto the palm of his hand before massaging it into his entire body.

His mind slowly began to relax as he massaged the shampoo into his silver blond hair and rinsed it out. All the worries from the last few hours washed down the drain with all the dirt, sweat, and shampoo that ran down his body.

Just as he turned off the shower and stepped out into the cold room, he could hear a soft knock on the main door that led into the living quarters, followed by Granger's soft footsteps to the door.  
Curious, Draco silently stood in the bathroom, his breathing slow and quiet, as he tried to make out the words of Granger and the person at the door.

"You sure?" said the male voice, which Draco couldn't put a face to.  
He'd heard it once or twice, but never actually realized who the voice belonged to.

"Yes, I'll be fine, Jay. I had to deal with him last night, so I'll be able to deal with him tonight, too. And the next few weeks." sighed Hermione, sounding a bit annoyed.

Draco frowned as he heard Granger say the boys name. Jay. Wasn't he the Ravenclaw boy, who was also in the hunt?

_What the hell does he want at this time of day?_

Curiosity took over Draco, and he quickly pulled on his boxers and a baggy pair of sweats, before hurrying out of the bathroom, and sticking his head out of the main door.

There stood Granger, wearing awfully short shorts that ended just below her perfectly round bum, an a light blue tank top above that.

Damn. She didn't look too bad.

Jay opened his mouth to speak up, but quickly closed it as he spotted Draco's silver blond hair.  
Hermione spun around, her brown curls bouncing up and down like springs.  
"Malfoy!" she hissed. "What do you want?"

Draco cocked an eyebrow at the girl, crossing his arms in front of his bare chest and leaning against the door frame.

"I heard voices and wanted to see who it was, Granger. I live here as much as you do, you know." he growled back at her, looking the Ravenclaw boy up and down. He was in baggy sweats, and wore a shirt that was probably two sizes too small for him.

"Well," Jay breathed in deeply. "I was just coming to… Well, you know. Check on you. See you tomorrow, Hermione." and without another word, the boy disappeared into his room that he shared with Loony Lovegood.

"You're a nosy prick, you know that, Malfoy?" hissed Hermione, lightly slapping his arm. "Jay and I were just having a normal conversation."

A smirk crossed Draco's face as he looked down at the witch. She looked so attractive when mad; her cheeks would go pink, she would ball her fists together, and her chest would quickly heave up and down. "Don't get your panties in a bunch," he chuckled, rolling his eyes. "I was only curious. "

Hermione sneered at the boy. "Nosy, more likely." she mumbled quietly, before pushing past the half naked boy and disappearing into her room again.

Once inside, her loyal pet Crookshanks jumped up on her bed, meowing softly at her, as I'd to ask what was wrong.

"Hey Crooks." she sighed, pulling the car into her lap and absently stroking the cats fur. Crookshanks began to immediately our at his owners touch, and pressed his head into the girls hand.

After a while of silence, Hermione slowly reached over on her night stand, picked up her journal and quill, and began to write down the events of the day.

It didn't take her long, though, since the only things that really happened were her and Draco arguing, her and Ginny studying, and Draco being a nosy git.

With a loud and heavy sigh, the witch closed her journal, studying the outside of the small book for a while.

Her mother had bought it for her just before she had started her first year at Hogwarts. Though the young witch never really thought useful of it until her fourth year at Hogwarts, mainly writing about Viktor Krum that year, and when She had run out of pages after her fifth year, she simply casting a spell on the little book to add more pages to it.

Hermione slowly ran her fingers across the leather front, her name still clearly written across the top. Her neat, curly handwriting hadn't changed a bit since her first year here.

_That's the only thing that hasn't changed since then…._

The girl scoffed lightly at the thought, lying down on her side with Crooks curled up by her stomach, and the small journal in front of her so that she could read through some of her old entries.  
The rain outside, and the soft purring of her cat slowly but surely lulled Hermione into a deep sleep, her hand still lying on her open journal.

* * *

**A/n:** sorry for having to make you wait. My computer is so distracting. :c I would've had this up much earlier but I've been role playing and on tumblr and here and there…  
Well yeah. I mean you get my point. :3

But, question;  
Do any of you other writers on here write the chapters out of order? o-o I'm already working on like, a chapter far ahead in the story, and I don't even know what chapter it is. And I'm starting to work on the very last chapter. Is that normal?


	4. Chapter 4

A/n: The beginning of this chapter may seem odd, and you might think that I uploaded the wrong chapter, but I didn't. Just keep on reading.

* * *

"Harry!" screamed Hermione, as she spun on her heel only to see a death eater point his wand at him.  
Or maybe it was a her. She couldn't tell the difference. Everyone of these cloaked figures was wearing a damn mask and the cloaks were baggy, so you couldn't tell whether they had breasts or not.

Just as Harry turned to shoot a curse at the death eater, another one showed up at his right, and Hermione watched in horror as the killing curse hit her best friend square in the chest.

"NOOO!" she screamed in agony, stunning both of the death eaters before falling to her knees, her body numb and limp.

Ron lay just feet away from her; Malfoy senior himself had killed her other best friend.  
The young witch sobbed uncontrollably as she pulled Harry and Ron closer to her, her head resting on both of their hands as her sobs became more intense.

What had she done to deserve this? She was merely trying to get to the library with the boys to study for their NEWT's. And all of a sudden, a dozen death eaters showed up in the empty library, sending spells and curses at the trio.

She looked up from the two hands as she heard slow footsteps approach her. In front of her were black, shiny polished shoes, and as Hermione's eyes trailed up the body, she was shocked to see that these shoes belonged to Draco Malfoy.

"Draco…" she cried quietly, more tears rolling down her already tear stained cheeks. "Draco, help me get them back to the safe house, I-

"Oh no, I don't think I can do that Granger." Draco interrupted her, holding out his hand to help her up.  
The girl slowly took his hand and pulled herself up, before wrapping her arms around his waist. He was the only one she had left now. And she couldn't stand it if she lost him too.

"W-what do you mean? We have to tell someone, they-

He quickly pressed his lips against hers to shut her rambling up. Hermione was genuinely surprised at first, but without hesitating, kissed him back and leaned into the kiss.

Off to her left, she could hear the loud crack of someone apparating into the room, but Draco only deepens the kiss and cradled the back of her head to keep her from looking.  
"Now, Draco… Do it now!" hissed an awfully familiar, male voice, and Hermione put a face to it at once.

Lucius Malfoy.  
Panic rose in Hermione as Draco pulled away. His hand held on to her chin, still refusing to let her look. And for some odd reason, she couldn't tear her eyes away from Draco's.  
"I'm sorry," Draco muttered into her ear, sending chills down her spine. "I love you."

The last thing Hermione saw was a bright green flash, and everything went black.

She waited for the pain to sear through her body as she stood still, her eyes now squeezed shut.

But nothing happened. And that's when she realized that she wasn't dead yet.

No; she could still feel her body, and her mind still worked at a rapid pace. But everything around her was pitch black. Blacker than a broom cupboard.

"hello?" Hermione managed to call out, her voice hoarse and her throat sore.

No answer. Nothing but the silence buzzing in her ears.

She took off running, not being able to see where she was going, her footsteps echoing through the darkness. She kept on going and going. But never did she stumble into a tree, or a piece of furniture, or even a wall.

_This is where I was left to rot forever._

A soft sob escaped her once again, and she sank to her knees, slowly rocking back and forth.  
And that's when she heard it. The quiet voice of a female. And a friendly, familiar voice at that.

The witch's head snapped up so fast that she had to blink away the fuzziness for a moment. Her vision slowly focused again, and she noticed the soft, glowing outline of a female body. But as she looked around the darkness, she noticed more glowing figures.

As the figures neared her, Hermione slowly pushed herself up off the floor, and she narrowed her eyes at one of them.

Her heart dropped.

Could that be…? No. That couldn't be Fred Weasley. He died during the war… But then again, she figured that she was dead too.

A warm smile spread across Fred's face, and Hermione immediately threw herself into his arms. Warm tears began to roll down her cheeks again. It had been so long since she had last seen Fred… 3 years, to be exact.

Fred slowly pulled away, and Hermione cupped his face in her hands. "Fred, what are you doing here?" she asked with a slight laugh.  
"Came to see you, what else?" he grinned brightly, squeezing her again. "But I'm not the only one who came. Turn around and say hello."

Hermione lightly bit her lip before turning around to face 6 other people, forming a circle around her.  
One female, one small creature with overly large ears, and the other 4 male.  
She carefully approached them all, studying their faces.  
A hand flew up to her mouth as she gasped.

There stood Tonks, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Dobby the house elf, Ron, and Harry.  
Hermione stated in terror, sadness, fear, and happiness. She couldn't move not speak. Her hand was still covering her mouth, tears silently trickling down her cheeks.

"Well, come on. Don't just stand there!" Tonks laughed, before hurrying over to the young witch and giving her a big hug. One by one, they all took their turns hugging the awe-struck witch.

"What are you all doing here?" she asked once she managed to get her sobs and sniffles under control.

"Dobby came to see Miss Granger! Dobby missed Miss Granger very much!" Dobby chimed and approached her again, throwing his arms around the quivering girls leg.  
She had to fight the urge to spontaneously burst into tears again, so she lightly gave the elf a pat on the head.

"I've missed you too, Dobby." Hermione smiled lightly, turning to look back up at the others. "Please. Tell me why you're here. I'm scared…"

Fred smiled at her. "You're a Gryffindor, Hermione! Don't be scared."

A smile crept upon Hermione's face. She'd missed Fred's positive attitude so much. Yes, George had the same. But that was before Fred past. Now all George did was run around his joke shop like a zombie, a frown constantly etched upon his face. He couldn't stand seeing his reflection for too long, because he'd be looking right at his dead twin, and eventually hold hour long conversations with his own reflections. It really destroyed Hermione and everyone else seeing him like that.  
And then it dawned upon her.

Molly. Poor Molly. She'd just lost one son during the war, and now she lost another one, and since Harry was as good as a son to her, a third one. And a daughter; Hermione herself was convinced that she's dead.

"We're here to tell you that you're not ready yet." said Sirius, interrupting her train of thoughts.  
She cocked an eyebrow at the animagus. What did he mean with 'not ready yet'? Not ready to go back? Not ready to die? Not ready to go on into the afterlife with them? Did they want her to rot in this darkness for a bit longer?  
A smile crossed Lupin's face as he noticed the confusion written across her face. "You're going back, Hermione." he explained softly.

Hermione's mouth opened lightly, but she couldn't speak. If she wasn't dead, then why was she here? Why was she here with all the people that she loved and passed on?

"But, I don't understand. I'm dead, I can't-

"Go back? Oh, I believe you can Hermione." Sirius chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "This is the land in between, as they call it. You've been given the voice to either go back to the living world, or come with us into the after life."

Hermione quickly opened her mouth to argue, but Tonks clamped her hand over the girls mouth.  
"You're going back, Hermione. There's no arguing. We'll force you, if you refuse." she smirked at her.  
"No! You can't make me, I want to stay-

"oh yes, that's going to be hard. Seven people against one witch without a wand." chuckled Fred. Well, that sounded oddly familiar.

Hermione frowned in frustration, tears filling her eyes again.

_Damn tears. _

"Fine." she sighed heavily.

Harry and Ron smiled sadly at their best friend, both hugging her simultaneously.

"Tell mum we said hi, alright?" said Ron, and Hermione nodded lightly. "And give Ginny a big kiss for me." Harry added quickly, but Hermione pulled a face at her friend.  
"I may be her friend, but I'm not kissing her, Harry." she laughed lightly, before kissing both of the boys on the cheeks.

Now it was Dobby's turn.

The witch bent down to eye-to-eye level with the elf, smiling at the small creature as he flung his small arms around her neck. "Send Winky Dobby's love, yes?" he chimed, and Hermione nodded, placing a kiss on his forehead.

"I'll do that, Dobby."

The girl got up off her knees, looking up at Sirius. She wasn't very close to him, but he still meant a lot to her, and she meant a lot to him.

"Still the brightest witch of our age." he smiled, ruffling through her hair. "Greet Molly and Arthur for me, will you?" Hermione bobbed her head once, before lightly hugging him. Lupin was next, and he'd asked the same favor as Sirius did.

And then Tonks stepped up, her hair her favorite shade of pink. "Cuddle my Teddy for me and take good care of him." she sighed as she hugged Hermione tightly. "And Kick the Malfoy boy's ass, Hermione. You know he deserves it." Hermione laughed lightly. She'd missed her humor so much.

And last but not least; Fred.

Fred still wore that grin on his face, as Hermione slung her arms around his neck, but not without having to stand on her tiptoes.

"do you want me to tell George anything?" Questioned the girl, looking up into Fred's eyes.  
He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "No, he already knows that I'm with him wherever he goes. But if you want to, you can tell him I Said to stop sulking all day. I can't stand to see him cry anymore."

Hermione noticed the hint of pain in Fred's voice, and the silly tears rolled down her cheeks again.  
She looked at the lot of them, stepping back a few steps.

"When will I see you again?" Hermione asked painfully, her voice trembling again.

"Soon enough." said Lupin.

"But if your ever need us… Just remember, we'll always be here with you." Harry smiled, pointing at her heart, and Sirius smiled brightly at his godson.

"I miss you all." she sighed, before they all transformed into small balls of light, and flew away into the darkness.

* * *

Hermione sat up straight as a board in her bed, covered in a cold sweat and her chest heaving heavily up and down as she tried to calm down.

_Damn it. Another nightmare. _

She pushed the damp strands of hair out of her face as she turned on a light on her nightstand, only to scream in terror once again.  
"MALFOY!" screeched Hermione, her voice hoarse and scratchy. "You scared the hell out of me, what are you doing in my room?"

Draco stood in the door frame, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "You've been screaming your head off for the past 3 hours, Granger. I had to cast a muffliato spell on the dorm so that no one thinks I'm murdering you, or using the cruciatus curse on you." he explained, coldly staring at her.

Hermione blinked at the boy. That explained her hoarse voice. She'd been screaming in her sleep. Her eyes darted around the room as she nervously brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear and bit her lip. "Well," she mumbled. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

The boy hesitated for a moment, before answering her question. "You would've hexed me to Neverland if I were to shake you awake in the middle of the night." Draco shrugged his shoulders. "Besides, you were calling my name. I wanted to see if you were going to say anything else about me."

"That still doesn't give you the right to just watch me sleep." hissed Hermione after a lengthy pause, and began to push him out of her room. Had she really called his name in her dream?

"Just get out, I'd like to have another hour of sleep before having to get ready for class!"

Draco laughed lightly at the witch as he was being shoved out of the room. "We don't have class, Granger. We can sleep as long as we want." he explained, looking down at the rather confused girl.

"...Right. But that doesn't mean that we can sleep until-

"Noon? Yes, it does actually. Because that's exactly what I'll be doing. And you'd better not wake me up, Granger." Draco warned, holding up a finger before disappearing into his room.

Hermione stood in the small living room for a few seconds, staring at the ferret's closed door. Oh how she loathed that greasy git.

With a frustrated groan she shuffled back to her room and slipped under the covers. Crookshanks mewed lightly at her and cuddled up next to her head. Before Hermione knew it, the purring of her pet lulled her to sleep once more.

_Review, please. _


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